Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 138: Tiger Hill Sword Pond

The Tiger Hill Sword Pond was an important place for the Tang Clan.

Originally, it was highly valued due to the legends from the previous era. The pond was treated very seriously, even being designated as a forbidden area. However, after decades and centuries passed without any discoveries, it naturally lost its significance. While it still held its nominal status as a forbidden area, many young members of the Tang Clan would even swim and play in it without anyone paying them much attention. The guards stationed around the pond were very lax.

Of course, the Tang Clan was still a noble clan and; ordinary guests could not visit the place even if they wanted to, and even ordinary servants were forbidden from going there. But with Tang Buqi having spoken, there was no problem with Zhao Changhe being allowed to visit.

Tang Buqi had just returned and, as per etiquette, he needed to meet his parents first before Zhao Changhe could be taken there. But when he saw Zhao Changhe’s impatience, he thought about it for a moment and then handed him a token, saying, “If you take my token with you, no one will stop you. Is there anyone here who knows the way? Please take Brother Zhao there.”

The servants all exchanged glances, and after a while, a maid hesitantly stepped forward and said, “I’ll bring Young Master Zhao there.”

Tang Buqi did not pay them any more attention and waved his hand. “I’m going to see my parents first. I’ll take you to a nice place tonight... Uh, actually, never mind. Forget I said that.”

He had habitually invited Zhao Changhe to a “nice place,” but as he was speaking, he seemed to suddenly have some concerns and stopped himself. He then left with a somewhat gloomy expression.

Zhao Changhe watched his departing figure and felt that this eldest nephew of his might just be undergoing some changes in his mindset... If he actually starts working hard again, it would be a good thing. He really isn’t that bad, just a bit spoiled and naive.

Although he had merely expressed interest in Tang Wanzhuang in jest, never having any serious intentions toward her, when he saw her wrapped in a cloak, coughing while working at her desk, resembling the Imperial Chancellor Zhuge[1], he could not help but feel a sense of respect and admiration toward her. Because of that, when he faced her, he could never bring himself to say anything too harsh.

If I can, I’ll help out a bit more. In any case, I’ve already pretty much fulfilled my responsibility as a secret agent, so I can just hand the role over the next time we meet.

As he walked, Zhao Changhe let his thoughts wander. By the time he arrived at Tiger Hill at the back of the mountain, he could not help but feel a bit uneasy.

Why hasn’t she said anything this entire time?

Even if your noble family looks down on us martial artists from the jianghu, you should not be so impolite. At the very least, I’m a guest personally brought here by your young master. Shouldn’t we have at least exchanged a few pleasantries, talked about the scenery, or discussed the legends concerning the Tiger Hill Sword Pond?

Just as he was thinking this, the maid finally spoke, “Young Master Zhao, you seem to have a good relationship with our young master.”

This is more like it. What were you doing just now? Zhao Changhe did not think much of it and casually replied, “It’s alright.”

The maid paused for a while as if searching for something to talk about, then finally said, “Tiger Hill is a famous scenic spot in Gusu. It is said that an emperor of the previous era was buried here. Has Young Master Zhao been here before?”

“This is the Tang Clan’s backyard. Who would be able to come here so easily? If you don’t know how to chat, don’t force it.”

The maid lowered her head and fell silent.

Zhao Changhe did not know whether to laugh or cry. He picked up the conversation himself. “It’s impossible for anyone to know everything about the previous era. I only know a small part of the legends, and I’m not very familiar with this area. Do you know what kind of emperor was buried here?”

In his mind, he could not help but think about the legends in the modern world. According to those legends, it should be King Helu of Wu[2], but he had no idea if that was also true here.

But he heard the maid say, “It’s said to be a sword emperor.”

“So was Yuchang[3] buried here?”

“I don’t know, I’m just a maid.”

“...”

“Anyway, our Tang Clan has been searching for a long time, whether an imperial tomb or a sword, but we never found anything. In the earlier years, some people tried to comprehend the way of the sword by the Thousand People Rock nearby, but they did not understand anything. Nowadays, people only dry their quilts there.”

“What is the Thousand People Rock? Did someone kill a thousand people there or what?”

“It’s said to be the place where the sword emperor lectured about the sword.”

Zhao Changhe scratched his head. He wondered if there was a Thousand People Rock in the modern world... No matter how much knowledge a person had, without relying on search engines, it was impossible to know everything. But according to common sense, neither the tomb of King Helu of Wu nor the Thousand People Rock should correspond to any sword emperor.

Of course, there was no Night Emperor in the modern world either. It seemed that things from the previous era were very different from the history of the modern world. It appeared that each world’s history had taken different paths.

Sure enough, he saw a large stone platform on the way. He did not know if it could actually accommodate a thousand people. At this moment, there did not seem to be anyone drying their quilts on it. Instead, there were some members of the Tang Clan sitting around a table, drinking wine and composing poems while pointing at the surrounding scenery.

Zhao Changhe shook his head and ignored them, urging the maid, who was craning her neck to look at the young masters of the Tang Clan, to hurry up. “What’s there to see? You can flirt with whichever young master of the Tang Clan you like when you head back.”

The maid continued to lead the way reluctantly, pointing to a nearby mountain stream. “We’re almost at the sword pond.”

“Are you suggesting that I can go on my own?”

The maid fell silent again.

There was a guard at the sword pond, but he looked quite relaxed. When he saw the two of them coming, he stopped them casually. “The sword pond is a forbidden area. It’s not a place for boys and girls to sneak in for romantic affairs. Why are there always ignorant people like you?”

The maid’s face turned red, while Zhao Changhe pointed at himself and said, “Do I seriously look like I’m a servant of the Tang Clan bringing a servant girl to the back mountain for a romantic getaway?”

The guard scrutinized him for a moment, and then became somewhat cautious. “I can see the vicious qi around you. You definitely aren’t a servant. Who are you?”

The maid, with her hands on her hips, said, “He is the Bloodthirsty Asura Zhao Changhe! A friend of the young master! The young master gave him his token for passage!”

Zhao Changhe glanced at her, and now he felt that his reputation was actually a bit respectable. He did not bother to say anything more and simply pulled out the token that Tang Buqi gave him. After a moment’s hesitation, the guard let them pass.

Zhao Changhe went straight into the sword pond, while the little maid followed closely behind him.

“Hey,” Zhao Changhe glanced at her. “Your task is complete. You can go and do whatever you need to do. Weren’t you very interested in joining the young masters back there?”

The maid tiptoed along the edge of the pool and said, “It would be inappropriate if I were to leave like this; you would say that I’m uncultured and uneducated.”

Zhao Changhe did not know whether to laugh or cry and said, “Speaking of which, I didn’t expect the Tang Clan to be so lenient. Even when a servant and a servant girl are suspected of having a private affair, they aren’t beaten to death. That guard even dared to joke about it?”

The maid replied, “The Tang Clan still values elegance.”

Zhao Changhe felt like her response did not quite address his comment. Elegance and what he was referring to were two different things. Many families that valued elegance were much stricter and harsher when it came to such issues. Anyway, he could not be bothered to ask about such trivial matters. He came here to see the sword pond.

Ignoring the maid, he circled the pond, lost in thought.

If there was any vicious qi in the pond, the gentle Spring Water Sword Intent of the Tang Clan was unlikely to be as sensitive toward it as he was. But after walking around the pond for some time, he really did not sense anything.

Zhao Changhe thought for a while, took out his silver notes and other things that could not be soaked in water, and put them aside. As for the golden foil and Dragon Bird, these were essential and could not be left behind. He would bear their weight no matter how heavy they were. If anything, they could help him sink faster. [4]

At the moment, his vision underwater was not as blurry as when he first fought underwater to protect Yangyang. His progress in the Six Harmonies Art was enough to allow him to focus his internal energy into his eyes, allowing him to see clearer and further. Additionally, he could now use his qi to protect himself underwater and hold his breath for longer periods.

However, after carefully looking around underwater for about half an incense stick’s worth of time, besides a narrow water passage leading to the mountain stream, he did not find anything else. He did not find even the slightest hint of vicious qi.

It seemed like if he did not go deeper, he would not be able to find anything.

Zhao Changhe was not discouraged. He found this to be completely normal. The Tang Clan had been here for several generations and they had never found anything. Why should he expect to make a discovery right away? It was clear that this would take some time.

I’m afraid that diving deeper won’t be of much use either. The Tang Clan would have already done that... If there’s an alternate space, there might be a specific way to open it, just like the ceremony that the Four Idols Cult did... Besides, there’s no guarantee that this is the right place.

As Zhao Changhe was in thought, he swam up. Just as he was about to emerge from the water, however, he was suddenly startled

Above, a pair of delicate feet were swaying in the water and nearly collided with his face. Upon closer inspection, it was the maid sitting by the edge of the pond, leisurely washing her feet and humming a little tune.

Zhao Changhe circled around her in annoyance and emerged nearby. “What are you doing here?”

The maid seemed to be startled by his sudden appearance. “Y-you’re back so soon?”

“This place isn’t that big. I’ve already been down there for half an incense stick’s worth of time,” Zhao Changhe replied irritably. “You know I went down and you still went and washed your feet here. Did you want me to drink your foot bath?”

“This pond wasn’t clean to begin with. Were you really planning on drinking the water in it?”

“...”

“It’s so hot today, with this cool pool here, who could resist soaking their feet in for a while?” the maid retorted confidently. “You went down for a dip yourself, yet you aren’t even going to let others soak their feet. How can you be so overbearing?”

“Okay, okay, it’s me who is being overbearing.” Zhao Changhe sighed and used his energy to dry himself. He then picked up the silver notes and the other things he had taken out and stuffed them back into his pocket. “I’m going to go look for Tang Buqi for dinner. You can continue soaking your feet in here if you want.”

How could the maid dare to leave him alone in a place like this? She reluctantly got up to wipe her feet and followed him back to the estate.

Watching Zhao Changhe’s figure as he walked ahead of her, the maid could not help but smile faintly, as if she found something amusing.

Zhao Changhe’s Back Eye perfectly caught this smile, and the corners of his mouth also curled upward.

Hehe, who said that there was nothing to be gained from going to this Tiger Hill Sword Pond? Haven’t I just made a discovery?

You told me that you’re just an ordinary little maid. Are you trying to play me for a fool? Do you think I’m Tang Buqi?

penguin’s thoughts: aaaaaaaaaand we have a foot fetish.

1. Zhuge Liang, famous strategist and statesman of the Three Kingdoms period. ☜

2. King of the state of Wu from 514 to 496 BC ☜

3. Literally “Fish Intestines,” a legendary dagger said to be small enough to hide inside a fish. ☜

4. The original states he grabbed a rock to weigh him down...and then proceeds to say that Dragon Bird is heavy. ☜